County Fire and Rescue Personnel Return From Sandy Recovery Work

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services Chief Richard Bowers this afternoon welcomed back 80 county emergency responders who spend the last nine days in New York and New Jersey assisting authorities and victims in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

The crew was called up on Oct. 28 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as an Urban Search and Rescue Team with the primary mission of finding and rescuing victims of the storm trapped in homes by flooding. According to a MCFRS press release, the team also assisted in transporting emergency vehicles — boats, water rescue equipment, tractor trailers and off-road 4×4 vehicles — to help move personnel into affected areas in the New York and New Jersey region.

The responders returned to Montgomery County today.

The team was moved to Ft. Dix in central New Jersey near the coast as the storm moved in. The crew moved a 14-vehicle convoy of essential equipment into flooded, powerless areas.

“From me to all of you, thank you very much. I’m very proud of this team. I’m very, very proud that as a resource the federal government is able to, if you will, build a team from the local level and be able to send it wherever is necessary to make a difference. And that’s what you did. You made a difference, you made a contribution,” Bowers said. ”I know what you need now because I’ve been in your seat. You need a little rest. You need probably a warm meal, and a nice warm bed.”